Editing Last rites (section)

==Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches==
[[File:Prithastie ranennogo.jpg|thumb|[[Russian Orthodox]] priest administering the last rites to a soldier on the field of battle]]

In the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and those [[Eastern Catholic Churches]] which follow the [[Byzantine Rite]], the last rites consist of the [[Sacred Mysteries]] (sacraments) of [[Confession (religion)|Confession]] and the reception of [[Eucharist#Eastern Orthodoxy|Holy Communion]].

Following these sacraments, when a person dies, there are a series of prayers known as ''The Office at the Parting of the Soul From the Body''. This consists of a [[blessing]] by the priest, the [[usual beginning]], and after the [[Lord's Prayer]], [[Psalm 51|Psalm 50]]. Then a [[canon (hymnography)|Canon]] to the [[Theotokos]] is chanted, entitled, "On behalf of a man whose soul is departing, and who cannot speak". This is an elongated prayer speaking in the person of the one who is dying, asking for forgiveness of sin, the mercy of God, and the [[intercession]] of the [[saint]]s. The rite is concluded by three prayers said by the priest, the last one being said "at the departure of the soul."<ref>{{Citation |last=Hapgood |first=Isabel Florence |author-link=Isabel Hapgood |title=Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church |place=Englewood, NJ |publisher=[[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese]] |year=1975 |edition=Revised |pages=360–366}}</ref>

There is an alternative rite known as ''The Office at the Parting of the Soul from the Body When a Man has Suffered for a Long Time''. The outline of this rite is the same as above, except that [[Psalm 70]] and [[Psalm 143]] precede [[Psalm 50]], and the words of the canon and the prayers are different.<ref>{{Citation |last=A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery |year=1995 |title=Book of Needs (Abridged) |place=South Canaan PA |publisher=[[St. Tikhon's Seminary]] Press |edition=2nd |pages=123–136 |isbn=1-878997-15-7}}</ref>

The [[rubric]] in the [[Book of Needs]] (priest's service book) states, "With respect to the Services said at the parting of the soul, we note that if time does not permit to read the whole Canon, then customarily just one of the prayers, found at the end of the Canon, is read by the Priest at the moment of the parting of the soul from the body."<ref>A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery, ''Op. cit.'', p. 153.</ref>

As soon as the person has died the priest begins ''The Office After the Departure of the Soul From the Body'' (also known as ''The First [[Pannikhida]]'').<ref>A Monk of St. Tikhon's Monastery, ''Op. cit.'', pp. 137–154.</ref>

In the Orthodox Church [[Holy Unction]] is not considered to be solely a part of a person's preparation for death, but is administered to any Orthodox Christian who is ill, physically or spiritually, to ask for God's mercy and forgiveness of sin.<ref name="Hapgood">Hapgood, ''Op. cit.'', pp. 607–608.</ref> There is an abbreviated form of Holy Unction to be performed for a person in imminent danger of death,<ref name="Hapgood" /> which does not replace the full rite in other cases.